The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 400. Tyler White vs Ring Master

After a few tense minutes, the atmosphere in the Game arena grew heavy with unease. The slaves, bound by desperation and fear, shifted nervously, their patience fraying by the second.

Watching from above, the Ring Master smirked.

"Alright then... let’s make things more interesting," he said with a theatrical wave of his hand.

A tall incense stick materialized in the center of the arena, its tip burning with a soft orange glow. The scent that wafted from it was strangely calming, almost sweet, but the effect on the slaves was the opposite. Panic spread through the crowd like wildfire.

"This incense," the Ring Master announced, "marks your countdown. When it burns out, anyone still wearing a collar will self-detonate. Beautiful, isn’t it? A race against time—with your lives on the line."

The calm broke. Panic exploded.

The slaves screamed and surged forward, many directing their fury at the modest house Tyler had conjured earlier. Though it was reinforced with concealment arrays and mild protective runes, it was never meant to withstand an all-out assault. These weren’t ordinary slaves—several were Master-level cultivators, and a few even radiated the deadly aura of Grandmasters.

In a matter of seconds, the structure crumbled under the onslaught, its walls and enchantments disintegrating in a burst of smoke and fractured light.

From the rubble, Tyler emerged unscathed, dusting off his clothes. Mana was nowhere in sight.

The crowd paused, stunned that he had walked out so calmly. Tyler’s expression remained unreadable, his posture radiating quiet confidence.

"So, Tyler White," the Ring Master called from above. "Have you made your choice?"

Tyler didn’t answer immediately. He stepped forward slowly, and the slaves instinctively backed away—just one step. But then they froze, realizing there was nowhere to run and no more time to waste.

A small voice broke the tension.

"Please... can I have the key?" a little girl asked, stepping out from the crowd. Her eyes were wide with fear, but she stood tall.

Tyler smiled. Without hesitation, he tossed a glowing silver key to her.

The crowd gasped.

The girl caught the key with trembling hands, staring at it in disbelief. Her father rushed to shield her, eyes darting toward the others.

"What kind of twisted game is this?" the Ring Master muttered, unimpressed. "Stoking their hope just to see them tear each other apart?"

But before anyone could act, a shadow loomed over the girl—a Grandmaster-level slave had appeared behind her, hand outstretched.

"Give me the key," he growled.

In an instant, his arm froze solid, encased in thick, shimmering ice.

"Wait," Tyler said calmly, tossing another key toward the man. The ice shattered just as the Grandmaster caught the key mid-air, eyes wide with confusion.

"...W-what?" he stammered.

Another slave stepped forward, desperation overtaking caution. "I want one too!"

But there are only two keys. He can’t possibly fight the Grandmaster, so he decided to snatch it from the little girl.

But ,

To the shock of everyone, Tyler casually threw a third key.

The arena fell into stunned silence.

Now there were three keys—when the Ring Master had only provided two.

The three recipients hesitated no longer. The father unlocked his daughter’s collar. The Grandmaster and the third man unlocked their own. With a trio of sharp metallic clangs, the collars dropped to the ground like broken shackles.

Tears welled in the Grandmaster’s eyes. "It’s... it’s real. I wasn’t hallucinating."

"Thank you... Thank you!" he cried, falling to his knees before Tyler. The father, daughter, and the other man quickly followed suit.

"Can my father get a key too?" the little girl asked, her voice innocent and hopeful.

Tyler didn’t even blink. He tossed a fourth key.

Up above, the Ring Master stood frozen, eyes wide. "Impossible... He replicated the keys? But how? Each one should require intricate formations, binding arrays, and—he didn’t have time..."

"Please! Help me too!"

"I’ve been here for years, I’ll do anything!" novelbuddy.cσ๓

One after another, the slaves dropped to their knees, pleading—not with desperation, but with hope. Hope that was now real, tangible, and shining in silver light.

Tyler raised a hand, and dozens of keys materialized in the air like a cascade of falling stars. He waved, and they scattered across the arena, landing before slave after slave.

The sound of unlocking collars echoed through the arena like a symphony of freedom.

"Is he... really just a merchant?" the Ring Master muttered, clenching his fists. "What is this man?"

As if hearing him, Tyler looked up. His gaze met the Ring Master’s directly.

"Looks like everyone’s free now," Tyler said coolly.

The Ring Master forced a grin, though his jaw clenched tight. "Well done. I must admit... that was entertaining. But enough games. It’s time for Round Three. No tricks. No mercy. Just carnage."

He clapped his hands once more.

The arena floor rumbled violently. This time, no metal plates descended. Instead, a massive cave burst forth from the earth, forming a jagged maw of darkness.

From within came growls and roars.

GROWL.

ROOOOAR.

Creatures poured out from the shadows—massive Iron Bears with glowing red eyes, Steel Hounds with jagged metal teeth, Lava Wolves dripping molten fire from their jaws, Fire Giant Stags whose antlers burned with hellish flame, and even grotesque Poison Tree Frogs whose skin pulsed with venom.

Dozens. Maybe hundreds.

A wave of savage beasts surged toward the newly freed slaves.

"Wow," Tyler muttered, eyes scanning the incoming horde.

But this time, he wasn’t alone.

One Grandmaster stepped forward, fire in his eyes. "You gave us freedom. Let me fight."

Others followed. Masters and Elite warriors, no longer shackled, stood before Tyler, ready to fight.

Tyler’s smirk returned as the chaos unfolded around him.

"You guys take care of these beasts," he said calmly, tossing a collection of assorted weapons onto the battlefield. The freed slaves didn’t hesitate; each one grabbed a weapon, the fire of newfound hope blazing in their eyes.

"I’ll handle the Ring Master," Tyler added, his voice steady with confidence. Without waiting, he soared into the air, scales beginning to emerge on his skin, glinting with draconic power.

Mode: Dragon.

"Heh? Handle me? Can you even escape the barrier?" the Ring Master sneered, watching Tyler approach with disdain.

But the smirk on Tyler’s face never faded. Just then, the shimmering barrier that had enclosed the Game Arena flickered... and vanished.

From the shadows of the operator room, Mana stepped out, her own grin matching Tyler’s. She had been the one to disable the arena’s protective barrier. After she and Tyler had entered the temporary house, she’d quietly escaped underground, slipping past the Ring Master unnoticed.

The Ring Master, now caught completely off guard, took the full brunt of Tyler’s attack. The impact sent him skidding across the platform as blood spurted from his mouth. However, he was quick to retaliate, activating his Domain.

Whooom!

Rings of searing fire materialized midair, forming a blazing spiral. The ground transformed, warping into a grand stage that mimicked the Game Arena, complete with molten lines and glowing sigils.

"So this is your Domain," Tyler muttered, scanning the fiery battlefield.

A massive chessboard materialized beneath their feet.

Unfazed, Tyler activated his own Domain.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

In the Arena , the slaves were locked in an intense struggle against waves of savage beasts. Steel Hounds with glowing red eyes lunged at warriors with terrifying speed. Poisonous Tree Frogs leapt and released toxic gas upon impact. Fire Giant Stags charged through formations, their burning antlers reducing weapons to molten scraps. Iron Bears roared as they swatted opponents like ragdolls.

But the slaves had spirit—and now, weapons. They fought back fiercely.

One of the wolves lunged at the little girl, its jaws wide open and eyes glowing with bloodlust. Her father cried out, but he was too far—too slow to save her.

Just as the beast closed in, a blur flashed past.

The Grandmaster appeared like a storm, placing himself between the child and death. With a single, swift motion, his sword gleamed through the air, cleaving through the wolf mid-leap.

The creature fell, lifeless, before it could even scream.

The little girl stared up at her protector, wide-eyed, as the Grandmaster stood tall, his blade dripping with blood and resolve.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

A thunderous growl echoed as the Ring Master Pet appeared — a towering Blue Lion with burning eyes.

At the same time, the Ring Master wielded a staff that emitted a stream of fire like a flamethrower, aiming directly at Tyler.

The Blue Lion lunged.

Tyler met it head-on. With precise timing, he punched the beast mid-leap, then grabbed its fiery beard and spun it around, shoving it directly into the incoming flames.

The lion let out a heart-wrenching roar of pain as it burned. Its eyes, filled with agony, turned toward the Ring Master.

"HA! You think I care about my pet? Just die along with it!" the Ring Master cackled maniacally.

The Rings of Fire surrounding Tyler began to close in like a death trap.

"Tsk... Chariot," Tyler said.

A castle-shaped chess piece, towering like a three-story building, manifested in a flash of blue light. It barreled from the side and crashed directly into the Ring Master, sending him flying once again.

Tyler glanced down at the lion. Its large, majestic form had been reduced to a burned, bald cub, no larger than a housecat. Without hesitation, Tyler scooped it up and stored it in his pocket dimension.

"This Ring Master is weak..." Tyler muttered.

But the truth was more complex.

The Ring Master was not a direct fighter. He was a Beast Tamer, specializing in controlling powerful creatures rather than engaging in combat himself. Most of his beasts, however, were currently occupied—battling the dozens of powerful former slaves in the arena below.

He was also on the verge of breaking into the Divine Seeker Realm, but hadn’t yet crossed the threshold.